Gildeas secures six figure settlement for victim of horrific road accident

Gildeas were instructed to act for a woman who suffered serious and long-term injuries in a horrific road traffic accident and negotiated a six figure compensation settlement on her behalf.

Kathleen’s car rolled over several times and left the road as a result of the collision, which occurred when she was travelling south on the M9 in June 2014.

A third party vehicle travelling at speed collided with the rear of Kathleen’s Vauxhall Corsa while she was in the overtaking lane.

Kathleen has spoken of the relief she feels now that her personal injury compensation claim has finally been resolved and despite the long-term physical and psychological nature of her injuries, she is hopeful that she will be able to undergo further rehabilitation.

The accident caused her to suffer a stroke and also left her with a spinal injury which caused tendon and ligament damage to her neck, a blood clot on her brain and an eye injury.

Kathleen still struggles with everyday tasks and uses a walking stick and wheelchair to get around. More than five and a half years on from the collision, she still has memory issues and trouble sleeping.

Kathleen said: “The accident has changed my whole life. I don’t have my independence any more and have to rely on my husband for so much now. Before this I was working full-time and driving around, living a normal life.“

“Gildeas have been brilliant. They arranged all the medical specialists that I saw and every one of them was of the very highest standard. The money won’t bring my health back but it will give us some reassurance going forward as we were worried about what our quality of life would be like with me not working and needing lots of support to do even simple tasks.”

Due to the serious and complex nature of her injuries, along with the fact that the third party faced criminal charges, Kathleen’s claim took more than five years to settle. Gildeas Director Stephen Hay and Head of Litigation David McKee were responsible for the claim, which saw them retain the services of counsel and a range of medical experts.

Kathleen was required to undergo extensive physiotherapy and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) following the accident.

Stephen said: “We are delighted to have settled this claim and secured a significant settlement for Kathleen, whose life has been turned upside down as a result of the accident she was involved in.

“Her claim also demonstrates that Gildeas is about more than delivering financial compensation for our clients as we were able to use our strong network of medical experts to facilitate a bespoke programme of rehabilitation treatment, some of which has been highly specialised.”

Kathleen admits she feels relief now that she and husband Gordon’s financial future has been secured: “Now that the claim has been settled, it does feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. It was quite an intense period when I was attending regular medical appointments and worrying about how everything might turn out, or what might have happened if the case had ended up in court.”

If you’ve been involved in a road traffic accident contact Gildeas today to discuss how we can provide assistance. We have decades of experience securing compensation for our clients and can get you the settlement you deserve.